Category Archives: Healthy habits

Although we cannot control everything that is happening in our lives, we have significantly more inner power than we think. We need to be cautious of our repressed emotions, especially the negative ones, it can take away a lot of mental energy and eventually lead to health problems including high blood pressure, digestive disorder, chest pain, insomnia and the like.

Take some time to evaluate yourself and see what kind of baggage you are still carrying that cause burdens and prevent you from fulfilling and enjoying your present lives. These emotional baggages are hatred, anger, sadness, guilt, lethargy, suppression and the like.

According to researchers, stress, emotion and your personality traits have a great impact to your health, mentally and most of all physically. To name a few, depression increases the level of inflammatory-promoting proteins and abdominal fat, stress increases the risk of heart attack, sadness increase your pain receptors, suppressing your feelings can lower the immune system and many more.

It may sound ridiculous of how the negative emotions can affect your overall health since it is just merely an intellectual configuration. Let’s think it this way, have you noticed when you are feeling emotionally tense you experienced sweaty palms, constricted throat or stomach ache? Well, that is how our emotion is associated with the physical condition of the body.

As human we cannot escape the fact that we can feel variety of emotion every day. As a matter of fact, we are designed to experience all kinds of emotions but what makes it negative is when we got stuck to it for a very long time and this is when it will slowly damage our physiological and psychological health.

We need to discover more about how the mind-body connection works to help us better understand the way to overcome it. Some Eastern medicine has found ways to tone down this emotional tension through practicing yoga. Yoga help you increase your physical ability and skills and at the same time teach you to release the negative energy inside you through its poses and breathing. This particular alternative practice is not only well-appreciated in the Eastern countries but also in the Western countries because they believe it helps them enhance the mind-body connection efficiently and easily.

According to scientist Barbara Fredrickson, having positive emotions can greatly benefits your health in two ways: (1) they widen your perspective to the world; (2) they build up in the long run and create emotional flexibility. Dr. Fredrickson believed that positivity gives you better sleep, lesser colds, aids in faster recovery of cardiovascular stress and make you happier. Added to that, positivity such as feeling gratefulness, love, peacefulness, respect, lightheartedness and connection to your loved ones can directly influence your health condition and wellness. But first thing first, these are practices that need to be developed overtime and make it as a habit in the long run. Below are the few positive effects that can help you reverse the negative effects in your life and gives you better, prosperous life.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the state of accepting the negative situation that has happened in the past. The Stanford forgiveness Project has done a research regarding forgiveness to 260 adults in 6 weeks, and they found out that 70% of the people reported that they have overcome the feelings of hurt, 13% experienced lesser anger and 27% experienced lesser physical pain such as stomach ache, faintness and the like. Forgiveness is also associated with higher immune system, lower blood pressure, improve cardiovascular condition and longer the lifespan.

Gratefulness

Gratefulness is a simple practice of admitting all the good aspect in life whether it is big or small. Giving thanks with what you have and what you are can lead to better physical and emotional wellness. Count your blessing every day and see the positive changes that will happen in your life such as being happier and sleep better at nights.

Resiliency

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, resilience is like a rubber band; no matter how far you stretch it will always bounce back to its original state. Resilient people are like this. These people are able to bounce back from the negativity in their life although they have been stretched out by tough emotions like pain, sadness, frustration or grief. Resilient people do not avoid nor deny the suffering but maintain positivity throughout the tough times and eventually overcome them. As a result to this, they become better person because they allow challenges to teach them and make it as part of their personal growth.

Take full responsibility of the negative emotions that has happened in your lives and grow from it. Do not linger to it for long period of time because it will only destroy your overall well-being. Living a healthy lifestyle is not only a matter of eating healthy and exercise, but also exercises positivity in your lives.

New Year is here and I believe we are always looking for ways to improve ourselves that is why many people come up with the idea of “New Year’s resolution”. Whatever we may call it, the point is just the same – to make room for personal development and progress in our lives. Whether you are a businessman, students, workers etc. all of us have goals in our lives. However, the very first thing we must do is to take that small step forward and see changes that will follow right on. With that being said, I have included some “small” steps you can do every day in order to break your sedentary lifestyle and create changes that will become a habit and eventually lead you closer to a successful life.

EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE

Sleeping early can help you wake up early; it is as simple as that. Getting up early enables you to relax and have some time for yourself, meditate and getting things done earlier. Most of us hate mornings because of the rush due to morning errands and fatigue from last night’s work. That is why it is advisable to sleep early and getting up early. When you start to make your body adapt to this changes for 1 month, it will be easier for you to make it as a habit for the 2nd month onward.

SIT DOWN AND READ

This is one of the common things that this generation has not practiced. Since gadgets and apps become a trend, younger generation seldom take the time to sit down and read. Change your lifestyle and challenge yourself to read few books at least every week. Never let your day pass by without reading something. Not only reading stimulates the brain processes, it also broadens your knowledge and perspective in life. Most people think that intelligent people read a lot, the truth is that people who reads a lot are intelligent people!

REGULAR EXERCISE

Exercise is one of the most important things for our body. Give yourself at least 30 minutes of daily exercise routine. Exercise produces endorphins that help increase your mood and energy levels. As a result to that, you will feel more keyed up and happier. People who are having trouble with depression are often encouraged to go out for a walk or run to help them release their stress.

BE GRATEFUL

Although this may sound like a small thing and an out-of-place habit, if you start to implement this habit in your daily life you will eventually realized what the power of gratitude can do to your lives. Take some time to show sincere gratitude to yourself and people around you. As time goes by, this habit will become natural and you will be surprise of how happy and contented person you will become.

PLAN AHEAD

Planning your day ahead can make you more productive and efficient. Planning ahead has its own advantages and disadvantages but either way it depends on how you utilize your time. On the other hand, it is normal to sometimes feel you can’t control of some things. Let go of the things that you can’t do or failed to do and move on to the next. You have done your part by planning ahead and working things out if things don’t work as it should be, take a deep breath and don’t be discourage nor allow the situation to take away your happiness and peace. Move on to the next and keep going!

SET YOUR PRIORITY IN LIFE

Many of us don’t realize that the most important thing in life is the one that is in our last priority-list in life and we end up wasting time on the things that we “thought” to be important. Take time to evaluate what are the things that matter the most to you and decide to focus and prioritize it. When harder things are completed, it will be easier for you to focus on the less-demanding things in life. By doing so, you can tremendously improve your efficiency in life.

JACK OF ALL TRADE…

Remember the idiom that goes “Jack of all trade, master of none”? This refers to a person that is good with many skills but not outstanding in any particular one. The year 2015 should be a year where you improve yourself in one area that you love doing and be great at it! It can be anything such as improving your running skills, writing skills, singing, playing a particular musical instrument and many more. Take time to improve in one thing you are good at and it will eventually boost your personal development and self-esteem in the long run.

If you ditch your old habits and change it to the new ones I believe you will see great changes in around a month of consistent practice. There is no right or wrong with these practices as long as you are committed and determined to improve yourself then you are on the right track!

All of us are not exempted to cravings even if we eat the right meals, exercise and take enough vitamins and yet we still crave some foods within the day. For people who have higher metabolism levels, craving some foods won’t be a big problem unlike those with lower metabolism levels and this could lead to weight gain and eventually obesity. If you are in this category of people that easily gain weight, perhaps you should consider these healthy foods that act as a natural appetite suppressant as a new alternative for snacking during the day or night.

ALMONDS

Almonds are rich in antioxidants, vitamin E, magnesium and it has high source in protein. For over centuries, almonds were known for its health benefits in diets such as lowering cholesterol, reducing the chances of cancer and heart disease. However, there are few people are actually allergic to almonds and any foods that related to it. Apart from that, almonds are great option for in-between snacks.

COFFEE

Ah caffeine! Moderate amount of coffee every morning can help boost your metabolism and make your brain more alert and focus. If you feel tired in the afternoon, a cup of coffee can do wonders to you because coffee can boost your energy levels. Researchers believe that caffeine improves the human brain function such as mood, cognitive function, alertness, memory and energy.

GINGER

Ginger is an amazing food when it comes to digestion. If you happen to have any stomach discomfort, ginger can help soothe your problem. Whether it is a smoothie, ginger tea or in a dish, ginger knows its role and works by stimulating and energizes the body thus making you feel less hungry throughout the day. It is also the most natural and safest remedy for digestion problem.

AVOCADO

Avocado may be fatty but they are not bad for your health. Avocados are packed with fiber and monounsaturated fat. It can help suppress appetite by filling your stomach and telling your brain it is full. In 100 gram of avocado serving contains 26% vitamin K, 20% folate, 17% vitamin C, 14% potassium, 14% vitamin B5, 13% vitamin B6 and 10% vitamin E. Although some people believe that avocado can make you gain weight, I personally believe that this unique food is safe and healthy.

APPLES

This is perhaps the most favorite type of fruit for most college students. Apples are great choice for snacking or breakfast. Apples are high in fiber and pectin. This amazing fruit balances your glucose level and increase your energy levels. Since apples require a lot of chewing, it can help your body more time to realize you are not hungry. Don’t forget the saying that goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away!” Grab an apple in the market now!

EGGS

Food experts believe that eating eggs for breakfast can make you feeling full throughout the day. Eggs are classified as one of the super foods because they are filled with nutrients that are important for health. This is practically pretty much the “perfect” food for dieters. Some people argue that eggs contain high cholesterol levels but the truth is that it does not directly affect the blood cholesterol in the body. This is in fact the most nutritious food on earth and if you can get omega-3 or pastured eggs these are even better!

WATER

Let us save the best for last! Water is the most convenient way to keep you full and suppressing your hunger. In August 2010 study shown that drinking two glasses of water before meal help lessen the calories in the body and aids in better digestion. Apart from keeping you hydrated, which is a good thing, water boost your energy and helps you recover from fatigue. And who would have thought your heart can also benefits from drinking water. Yes! It is true, if you have enough body fluid in the body your heart will not need to work extra hard to pump blood throughout the body. So, don’t forget to bring a bottle of water everywhere you go!